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Toothweed
Toothweed is the most widely used common name of dentalia mubarakii. It is genetically distinct from the rest of Earth's plant life, with the exception of Blightweed, with which it may hybridize. The plant has tremendous historical importance as a driver of global economic growth and technical development. Origins and Discovery The first documented populations of Toothweed were found in several small towns along the Mediterranean coast of the Baptiste Empire, where it was already being cultivated by the locals and sold as food and biofuel. They could give no information on the presence of this hitherto unknown species, beyond vague tales of how it spread into the area and began invading the fields where they grew their previous crops. The appearance of Toothweed in the region is most likely connected with an experiment conducted by Aslan Mubarak in E4Y89. This took place prior to the more serious Baptiste crackdowns on technological innovation. Mubarak and his team were attempting to manipulate spacetime and establish wormhole-like connections to distant regions. They were never able to produce a stable portal, as their prototype devices always burned out after a few seconds of operation. However, their most successful attempt established a short-lived connection, and a single clod of dirt was sucked through before the link winked out. The dirt contained unusual seeds, some of which Mubarak was able to grow. He established a large stand of the plants around his house and sold tours of the garden (reportedly earning more from this side venture than he ever received from his technical career). No specimens were retained after Mubarak's death, but surviving descriptions of the plants are remarkably similar to Toothweed. Cultivation The hardy strain of Toothweed which first appeared near the Mediterranean is now extinct, replaced by a variety of cultivars. These were bred for improved yield and greater docility, but require careful tending to survive. Toothweed of any variety is semi-motile and possesses a type of low-level sentience. The plants have a limited ability to communicate with each other, and exceptional specimens have even demonstrated problem-solving skills (e.g. by lifting a lid from a jar so that water inside could be reached with a tendril). The greatest point of contention among Toothweed farmers was whether to harvest only the pods and some leaves, or to mow the entire field. Though the latter method produced a greater harvested biomass in the short term, the former had its advantages also. Perennial stands of Toothweed acquired strength with age, growing more resistant to diseases and insect damage, and becoming more communicative with their human handlers. Conversely, Toothweed planted in a field that had been mowed the previous year was abnormally unruly, as if some marker of the previous crop's death remained in the soil. Though some claimed that mowing was inhumane, it seems the practice persisted due to fear of the Toothweed itself. Popular superstition held that if too many perennial stands became established, the Toothweed fields would develop a collective intelligence and become dangerous. The defensive capabilities of the pods remain active after they are detached from the parent plant, for as long as they are fresh and edible. This has caused no end of trouble in their preparation. Mishandling of Toothweed can result in Munchers' Twitch, or the less common but more alarming Klandis Pox. Present Status In the wake of the Phlogistonian Revolution, a global research consortium took up the problem of preventing additional Blight outbreaks. Their efforts produced several new Toothweed strains which resisted hybridization with Blightweed. Large barrier plantings of these strains now serve as the principal defense against remaining infected areas, as these Toothweed varieties out-compete any Blightweed that manages to cross the moats. To ensure their continued human-friendly alignment, the fields are given regular presents of fertilizer and never mowed. Pods hand-gathered from the barrier fields account for much of the remaining Toothweed production in the world today. Toothweed is also cultivated by a few dedicated farmers in the former Baptiste empire, who went to great efforts to gather and calm the surviving plants after the disaster that destroyed the market. Toothweed is occasionally eaten in luxury restaurants^, and guignol oil is still demanded for use in tatus and as grease for newly built high-efficiency Phlogiston devices. However, without a government system to mandate and subsidize cultivation, it is unlikely that Toothweed will return to its old status as an over-produced commodity crop. ^Toothweed tastes horrible, but rich people will eat anything if you make it expensive enough. -- Ariane Vulpinia Citations Blightweed Guignol Oil Klandis Pox Munchers' Twitch Proto-Sapient Artform Remnants of Toothweed Production